Are you stalking me?" That's the question that Josiah Williams asked Westword after he saw the illustration on the cover of our September 6 issue, which featured "Is Everyone Hoppy?," a story about Colorado's nascent hops-farming industry. Why did he ask that? Well, just look at the guy. And the similarities don't end there.
"I do enjoy beer," says Williams, a restaurant manager who lives in Windsor. "I home-brew a lot, actually have won a couple medals in some contests up here and in Fort Collins. I love hoppy beer so much I have hops tattooed on my arm! Don't really have a favorite beer — more like a rotating top ten. Just enjoy drinking and creating beer a ton!"
Williams has won home-brewing awards for his German-style altbier and an American pale ale. He is currently brewing a milk stout, as well as his own fresh-hop beer, which is also coincidental because that's what the Westword story was about.
"I do wear sunglasses on my head, but mine are orange Oakleys," he adds. "And I do have a raccoon eye tan with those glasses. You can barely see it in the pic."
And while the resemblance is truly spectacular, we weren't stalking Williams. In fact, the artwork was done by an artist from Atlanta.
"My first reaction was just laughing," says Williams, adding that a co-worker posted the picture on his office window, "so I saw it for the first time walking into work. I thought it was a joke or something; it took a bit to realize it was real."
Even more amazing? Williams was only one of a couple people who e-mailed or Tweeted us to let us know that they looked like the guy on the cover.
Colorado, it seems, is full of bearded beer lovers.
Josiah Williams has it covered.
